Mavericks-Heat Preview

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)


Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (15-7) at Miami Heat (11-9)

As the Dallas Mavericks enter Miami to do battle with the Heat, many thoughts come to mind of the 2006 Finals series between the two squads.

After the Heat walked away with the NBA title that season, you would think the Mavericks would feel incomplete every time they see Miami on the schedule. For Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, it's the team camaraderie that developed during that historic playoff stretch, and not the Finals loss, that sticks out in No. 41's mind.

"I don't think I'll ever forget about the Finals run we had," Nowitzki said. "I think we had so much fun leading up to the Finals, those two months were amazing. And so, it's still to this day one of the greatest disappointments of my career. But I don't think it's necessarily with Miami, but just the Finals run that I'll remember."

So when the Mavs meet the Heat on Friday night, Dallas will be looking at the opposing sidelines seeing the 2009-10 version of Miami, and not the one that snatched the Larry O'Brien trophy away from the Mavericks' grasps.

"I think we've all moved on from it, but they have a great young team, building around one of the best players in the league. It should be a challenge," Nowitzki said.

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

That player that Nowitzki spoke of was Miami's Dwyane Wade. The two superstars are playing like MVP contenders, as both average 27.0 points per game while playing 38.5 minutes a contest. Wade has done most of his damage at the charity stripe, attempting a league-high 11.2 free throws a game.

"(Wade) is a great player and he's playing at a stratospheric level right now," Mavs coach Carlisle said. "He's the major focal point of their team and he can do so many things."

"You want to try to contain him, you have to have help ready and you want to try to keep him off the free throw line as much as possible."

Containing Wade is a tough task for any team, but Dallas will try to both limit the superstar's opportunities and keep his supporting cast from stepping up to win the game. Miami's role players are viewed by many as the league's most overachieving group.

"They do a great job there with their guys. They've had some injuries from time to time, but (Jermaine O'Neal) has really worked hard to get his knee back to where he's playing at a high level. (Michael Beasley) has been starting and putting up numbers, and they have the right guys surrounding their best players. They have a bunch of guys that can make threes. They're very tough to play," Carlisle said.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are hoping to continue to have swingman Josh Howard on the court and not in street clothes, after the former All-Star battled through the pain in his surgically-repaired left ankle to score 20 points in Dallas' 102-101 win over Phoenix. It was only Howard's fourth game of the season.

With the Mavericks playing a weekend back-to-back, No. 5's status for one or both games is still up in the air.

"I'm not going to say which game (Howard) is going to play or not play, and I'm not going to say he's not going to play one of the games. That we may play by ear," Carlisle said.

What may benefit Howard's playing status most could be the possible return of reserve guard Quinton Ross. Ross hasn't played since leaving a 111-103 loss to Golden State on Nov. 24, after playing just 13 minutes before sustaining a lower back injury. The Dallas native went through a full practice on Thursday and is expected to be active on Friday night.

The Mavericks-Heat matchup on Friday night will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT. Dallas is 8-4 on the road this season.

Dallas returns home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night, with that game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

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